Pinedale 2026 Jan 2 (Skate)

Race Summary - Day 1: Skate Race

Today we finally got to compete in our first high school race of the season after having to cancel the race in Jackson in December due to a lack of snow. Pinedale turned out to be a great host, with excellently prepared trails.

The format for this race was a mini–mass start: eight skiers at a time, starting every 30 seconds. Typically, ski races are either individual start—where each skier goes out on their own with a 15-second separation—or mass start, where all skiers start together in one large group, sorted by past race ranking. To accommodate the limited trail width, which makes large mass starts difficult, Pinedale decided to start skiers in groups of eight every 30 seconds. This format worked extremely well, as athletes were able to compete directly against one another while still having the opportunity to race their best, since no one was “stuck” in the back of a large mass start. Coaches sorted their athletes by anticipated performance from fastest to slowest, allowing most skiers to compete with peers of similar caliber.

Sheridan had an excellent start to the race season, with several top-10 placements. In the 7.5 km Varsity race, Kayley and Macey Alicke managed to podium in 1st and 2nd place, while Varsity boys Gabe Aasby and Kade Shideman earned respectable 4th- and 5th-place finishes. Luke Schreiber (13th), Brynn Kirol (17th), and Andre Wei (19th) rounded out the Varsity race for Sheridan, each earning team points. With only 4 boys entered in the Varsity race the boys team managed to finish FIRST overall and the girls team with only 3 skiers 3rd overall. This is a new record for our boys! 

In the 5.5 km Junior Varsity race, Eric Venn finished second overall, and Clara Murray placed 10th for the girls. Eric was nearly a full minute faster than 3rd place—an impressive feat. First-year skier Wyatt Balius placed 19th overall, which is an excellent start to his racing career. Justin McDowell and Henry Phillips, both former Sheridan team skiers, competed in the open division. Their race times would have ranked 6th and 15th in the high school field. It was great to see these two young men continuing to ski and helping the team with ski prep and ski testing.

Additional shoutouts:

• Macey Alicke’s 2nd-place finish is incredible—she’s only a freshman, and this was her very first high school race.

• Gabe Aasby moved up from 11th place last year to 4th place this year.

• Kade Shideman, only a sophomore and racing in Pinedale for the first time, had an excellent showing with a 5th-place finish.

• Andre Wei improved his placement from 51st last year to 19th this year.

• Clara Murray moved up from 19th to 10th in the JV race.

• Colton Stutte finished the JV race in 22nd place with a time of 26:17—over 31 minutes faster than last year, when he finished in last place. One year of focused, hard, and disciplined work paid off today.

• Kayley Alicke continues her winning streak from last year, opening the season with a 33-second victory margin. A great way to start the season!

Full Sheridan Team results:

Team Scores:

Varsity Boys:

Sheridan 83

Lander 81

Laramie 79

Natrona 71

Pinedale 68

Jackson 54

Kelly Walsh 26

Cody 0

Varsity Girls:

Cody 94

Jackson 85

Sheridan 73

Lander 57

Laramie 49

Pinedale 46

Natrona 39

Kelly Walsh 22